


Things That Hide In Shadows

by Scovall



Category: Hawaii Five-0 (2010)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-10-24
Updated: 2011-10-24
Packaged: 2017-10-24 22:04:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 15,213
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/268366
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Scovall/pseuds/Scovall
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Can Five-0 catch up to a dangerous scientist before his creations over run Honolulu?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Things That Hide In Shadows

Dr. Martin Neuberg struggled under the weight of his lab assistant's (or rather former lab assistant's) body. Neuberg's original plan had been to leave the body deep in the jungle of the national park. Unfortunately, he had always functioned better in the lab then in the real world. In the real world, moving the dead weight of a human body was harder than Neuberg had imagined, even a scrawny body like Matthew's.

It was a shame really. Matthew had been one of the best lab assistants he had worked with, smart, hard working, and willing to overlook certain "oddities" in exchange for a generous paycheck. The accident that had killed him had resulted from a terribly uncharacteristic carelessness.

Still, Matthew's untimely demise had provided invaluable data which would allow the project to be completed well ahead of schedule. In fact, it was so close to finished that Neuberg would not even have to be troubled with finding a replacement. And it meant one less loose end to tie up later. Really, Matthew's fatal mistake was turning out to be quite fortuitous.

Neuberg's musings were interrupted by the sounds of hikers on a nearby trail. He held his breath as the group passed close to him, but the combination of encroaching twilight and the dense jungle allowed him to remain unnoticed. He thought fleetingly of his van parked only a 100 yards away at the foot of the trail. There was no way the hikers could fail to see it.

This was getting out of hand. There was no reason for them to give the van even a passing thought. There was also no reason for him to be bothered dragging Matthew's rather grotesque corpse any further. Twenty feet from the trail and hidden in dense jungle growth, it would be at least a few days until he was found. Then a few more days to identify him and by then it would no longer matter.

 

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_

"Were you aware that the Honolulu Police Department has a homicide division?" Detective Danny Williams asked pleasantly.

From the silver Camero's driver's seat, Williams' partner, Lt Cdr Steve McGarrett glanced at him warily. Steve didn't know where this was going, but Danny's _pleasantness_ – at 7:30 in the morning no less – warned Steve that his partner was gearing up for a major rant.

For his part, Danny did not wait for Steve to reply. "I know that HPD has a homicide division course. And do you know what we did in the HPD homicide division? We investigated murders!" Danny punctuated this important point with a series of hand gestures.

Steve waited a beat to see if it was really his turn to talk. He still wasn't certain what point Danny was trying to make. "So being asked to investigate a potential murder is making you nostalgic?" he ventured.

"Nostalgic!" Danny stared at him incredulously, eyes wide, hand waving. "Nostalgic to be up at the crack of dawn! Nostalgic to be traipsing into the JUNGLE – to view a body that should be under the jurisdiction of the HPD!"

Steve sighed and prayed for patience. "I've already explained – several times – that the body is in an unusual condition and HPD has requested that we take a look before it's transported to the morgue."

"That is weak," Danny told him as Steve pulled into a small parking area with several HPD cars and a coroner's van. "A weak excuse by some homicide detective who wanted to sleep in and enjoy his morning coffee."

Steve had stopped listening, exiting the car and striding up the path that led away from the parking area and into the rainforest. Danny followed at a slightly slower pace, eyes scanning the sides of the path. It occurred to Danny that they were incredibly lucky that the body had been found at all. With all of the dense foliage, if the jogger's dog hadn't broken its lease and run off the trail, the body would still be decomposing away unseen.

Rounding a corner, Danny saw where a new side path had been beaten down, leading away from the main trail. He nodded to the HPD officer guarding the entrance to the side trail. "How many people have been down there?"

"Just the jogger who found the body and the 2 patrol officers who responded to the 911 call. We've put up the caution tape and we're waiting for Dr Bergman to remove the body before we start processing the scene. And Cmd. McGarrett just headed down."

Danny nodded approvingly, "The corner's van is down in the parking lot. Max must be getting his gear ready. He should be here in a minute. Where's the jogger now?"

"We took him back to HPD headquarters to talk to the detective in charge."

Danny couldn't quite keep the smirk off his face, remembering his earlier comments to Steve about lazy detectives. Fortunately, the HPD office on the trail didn't understand the source of his amusement, and Danny started down the path after his partner.

He joined Steve in squatting silently next to the body and took a few minutes to study the corpse. The victim was male with features that made him seem Caucasian, but his skin was a terrible molten combination of sickly greens, purples, and blues. It was similar to bruising but not quite the same. The discoloration was not uniform. Based on the skin that Danny could see on the man's arms and torso (through the tears in his white t-shirt) the discoloration seemed to be much darker on the right side of his body. Most horrible of all, the skin on his right arm was almost black and seemed somehow misshapen – somehow too soft. Danny really hoped it was an illusion caused by the extreme discoloration.

"Have you ever seen anything like this?" Danny asked his partner. After all, Steve had been to a lot exotic places and seen a lot of weird shit.

"No, nothing like this," Steve sounded distracted, all of his laser focus turned on the corpse in front of him. Steve reached out one gloved hand and gently touched the right arm. He frowned and pressed harder.

"Hey!" Danny objected," You don't just go around poking dead things! Wait for Max!"

Steve brushed the protest aside with a wave of his hand. He continued to study the indentation his finger had left on the victim's arm, an indentation that was actually growing larger before Steve's eyes. It was as if the arm had no internal structure and Steve's touch was all that it needed to collapse. As the arm collapsed, the skin stretched and then, with a wet smacking of sound, it tore open.

"God!" Danny yelled, jumping back as a foul smelling viscous black fluid began seeping through the tear. "That is why you don't poke the dead guy, Steven."

Even McGarrett could not quite control his look of revulsion as he hurriedly stood up and took a step back. Both men were so absorbed by the revolting developments in front of them that neither noticed Dr. Max Bergman standing behind them at the mouth of the path.

Max stopped short, pausing to study the two taskforce members and the corpse, all roped off inside the yellow crime scene tape. He did not approach any closer. "Gentlemen, was the body secreting that black liquid when you first arrived?"

"No, not before Super Seal here poked at it," Danny replied with relish, poking at Steve with one of his own fingers. Steve swatted his hand away.

Max sighed and nodded to himself," I'm afraid that I am going to ask you to be patient while we wait for a quarantine team to arrive."

"Excuse me?" It was only Steve's restraining hand that stopped Danny from ducking under the caution tape.

"A very initial observation of the body's unusual decomposition could indicate several different causes, but I cannot rule out a viral or bacterial cause. Both of which should could be airborne. Once the skin was broken, the contagion, if it exists, could have been released into the air." Without giving the blonde detective further chance to respond, Max pulled out his cell phone and began making the necessary arrangements.

"Do you believe this guy?" Danny asked, turning to Steve with an incredulous expression. But the deadly serious look on his partner's face stopped him short.

"He's right," Steve said quietly, moving as far away from the body as the caution tape allowed and sitting down on the ground to wait.

Danny dropped down beside him. "I would like to go on record as saying that this is all your fault."

Instead of his usual comeback all Steve could give him was a miserable nod.

 

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Chin Ho Kelly and Kono Kalakaua were watching the last of the crime scene techs pack up their gear. The body had been transported back to Bergman's morgue several hours ago, kept under strict quarantine conditions. Steve and Danny had also been shipped off under strict quarantine, forced to wait for Max's official cause of death.

Chin and Kono had already decided that since there was no immediate cause for their victim's death at the scene, that this was most likely just a dump site for the body. Now they were ready to head back to Five-0 headquarters and begin the investigation. Unfortunately, they had a frustratingly small pool of data to work with.

Kono turned to Chin, "It might be awhile before Max can help us ID the victim."

Chin nodded," His first priority has to be ruling out infectious agents and determining cause of death. So if we can't with the victim cuz, where do we start?"

Kono turned the question over in her mind as they started down the trail towards the parking lot. "We can't start with the victim. We can't start with the crime scene because all we have is a dump site . . ."

"Or maybe our guy was moving under his own power and this was as far as he got before he collapsed?" Chin suggested.

"Maybe," Kono answered thoughtfully, "but it doesn't feel that way. No vehicles were found in the parking lot or the immediate vicinity. This is pretty remote so I don't think he walked here, especially if he was sick. And the body was far enough off the trail that it seems like someone didn't want it found, at least for awhile."

Chin nodded approvingly, "That's what I was thinking."

Ahead of them, two techs were pushing a cart of equipment down the trail. The cart's wheel caught a small rut, causing a shiny piece of equipment to tumble off into the green foliage. Kono and Chin continued to discuss the best course for their investigation when the tech retrieving the equipment waved for their attention.

"There's something in the leaves here." Gloves and an evidence bag were quickly produced and the tech offered Chin a bagged class ring. "Should we process it?" the tech asked. "It's not really that close to the scene. A lot of people hike here every day."

Chin studied the ring through the plastic. "It's too clean to have been out here for very long and it was still on top of the vegetation. Take it back with the rest."

"Hold on a second, cuz," Kono stopped him from handing the bag back. "A lot of class rings have names or initials engraved inside them."

"It says Cooke here on the side," Chin noted, "Might be a last name."

Kono took the bag from him and squinted as she turned the ring through the plastic, "It has the initials MMC inside. That works with Cooke for the last name."

"So we're looking for a University of Hawaii grad, from the class of 2010, with the initials MMC, last name Cooke," Chin was energized by the possible lead. "Now we have a place to start."

 

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_

Danny lay back on his cot at the Queens Medical Center and daydreamed about the ways he would get even with Steve for putting him in this current situation. That was, of course, assuming he didn't die from some mutant plague. It didn't help that the room felt like a vault, with its windowless walls and airlock door. Danny desperately wanted fresh air, even the humid ocean air Hawaii offered.

Across the room, sitting on his own cot, McGarrett was on his cell phone getting an update from Chin on the lead they had found at the dump site. Both men had been allowed to keep their phones for now, if medical equipment was required later they would have to give them up. Their clothes had been traded in for hospital scrubs. Thank god they weren't being forced to wear the horrible gowns.

When Steve disconnected the call, Danny swung into a sitting position and glared at him. "I think my skin feels tingly," he reported, the accusation in his tone clearly implying it was Steve's fault. "You've made me Patient Zero in a world ending plague."

"You're imaging it," Steve dismissed. "Besides, why would you be Patient Zero? I think the dead guy gets to be Patient Zero, or maybe me."

"You?" Danny scoffed, "You won't even get sick. Your Super Navy Ninja Seal DNA will fight off the plague germs. Then you'll be the last man standing. Unless there are other SEALs with the same super DNA and then you'll emerge as new race to rule the world."

Steve clamped down on the inclination to point out that since there were no female SEALs his super race wouldn't get very far. Instead, he decided to try and refocus Danny's attention. "Do you want to know what Chin and Kono found?"

Danny sighed, "Sure, go ahead."

"They have a name: Matthew Michael Cooke. Cooke graduated from the University of Hawaii with a degree in biology. He's currently enrolled in the Master's program, working on a degree in genetics. He could be our victim, or he could be involved with what happened to our victim. Either way, Chin and Kono are tracking him down now."

"That's fascinating," Danny replied sarcastically. "But I have to admit that I'm more interested in whether or not **Bergman** has any updates. I would like to know if I'm going to be okay or I'm going to spend my last moments on Earth locked in this cell with you!"

Steve sighed and lay back on his cot. He should have known that Danny would not be distracted. Lettings his partner's continuing rant wash over him, Steve offered up a silent prayer that Max would have positive results quickly.

 

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_

Martin Neuberg sighed and used the review mirror to study the equipment packed in the back of his van. This was turning out to be much more difficult than he had imagined. First Matthew died prematurely and now it turned out that the containment breach was far worse than he had thought. But at least he had salvaged enough samples to satisfy his buyer. In 48 hours, he would have his money and be safely off the island. The containment breach would matter to him them.

Chin and Kono approached the apartment door that was listed as the last known address for one Matthew Cooke. The sound of the TV coming from inside seemed to indicate that Cooke might actually be home. The two officers exchanged a quick look before Chin pounded on the door. There was no response.

Chin tried again, pounding harder and calling out, "Five-0! Open the door!"

This time the sounds of movement from inside indicated compliance. Beside Chin, Kono rocked forward onto the balls of her feet, ready for whoever might on the other side of the door.

"Are you guys really Five-0?" the short excited man with red hair and freckles was as far from threatening as Kono could imagine. "I see stuff about you on the news all the time!" He seemed to be trying to peer around the two taskforce members in his doorway. "Is Commander McGarrett here? I've seen his press conferences and he is BAD ASS!"

Kono tried valiantly to keep her expression stern. Ever since the Governor had started forcing Steve to appear before the press, this sort of situation had started to become more and more common. Steve HATED it.

Chin took a step forward, forcing the much smaller man to step back into the apartment, seizing control of the situation. "We're looking for Matthew Cooke."

"Matt?" the man asked, obviously surprised. "I'm not Matt," he quickly reassured them.

Chin sighed. He already knew from pulling up Cooke's driver's license that Cooke was much taller and darker. "And your name is . . ." he prompted.

"Drew Lackner. Matt is my roommate," Drew paused and then continued thoughtfully, "Matt hasn't been home since Monday – that means it's been four days."

"Is it common for Matt to be gone for so long?" Kono asked.

"No, he's really kind of boring. He spends all his time either working on his graduate thesis or working as a lab assistant."

Chin gave him a disbelieving look, "But he's been gone for four days and you're just mentioning to someone now?"

"We're not friends, just two grad students who both needed an apartment." It seemed to be dawning on Drew that his answers might seem odd. He began searching for some way to make the Five-0 officers happier. "Is Matt in trouble? Do you want to look at his room? All his stuff's in there." He gestured to a closed door off the living room.

Chin moved to investigate Cooke's room while Kono asked Lackner a few more questions. Cooke's room was neat, containing very few personal touches. The many, many biology, genetics, and microbiology textbooks were in keeping with his fields of study. A quick search of the room found no cell phone, no wallet, and no car keys. The desk was arranged to allow for a laptop computer but he computer itself was nowhere to be found.

Chin did find one item of interest – a paystub from Chardina Labs. When Lackner had mentioned that Cooke was a lab assistant, Chin had assumed it was for the University, but this sounded more like a private company. He used his cell phone to snap a picture of the paystub.

Back out in the living room, Kono was thanking Lackner for his cooperation.

"Can you tell us anything about the lab Cooke works for?" Chin asked him.

Drew shook his head regretfully, "Matt doesn't talk about his job. I think the project is supposed to be confidential. The private labs pay more than the school and jobs with them are hard to get. Mostly, they make you sign confidentiality agreements. Matt wouldn't want to do anything to jeopardize his job."

"Thank you again for your help," Kono told him, "If Matt turns up, or you think of anything else, please call the number on the card I gave you."

The two cousins were both quiet until they were settled back in Kono's Chevy Cruze. "Do you want to swing by the lab where Cooke works and see if he's been there?" Kono asked.

"Let's stop by the hospital first and get an update on the boys."

"Maybe we can spring Steve and Danny," Kono joked. But her attempt at humor fell flat. The cousins shared a worried look. Neither wanted to say it out loud but they still didn't know what they were dealing with and McGarrett and Williams could be in deadly trouble.

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Steve gazed across the small hospital room and watched his partner nap. They had been confined here for almost 6 hours now, while Max tested, analyzed, and eliminated possible causes for their victim's death.

For the first five of those hours, Danny had treated him to a nearly continuous monolog about phantom symptoms he might, or might not, be experiencing, and the many horrific ways they could lead to death. He had been interrupted by both periodic calls from Chin with updates on the case and visits from doctors in sealed suits, checking for any signs of illness.

Steve was grateful they had been allowed to use their phones. It enabled him to surf the internet while he nodded along with Danny's dire predictions.

When Danny had first dropped off to sleep, Steve had been grateful for the solitude, but now the quiet was weighing on him. Rationally, Steve knew that the longer they went without developing any symptoms, the more likely that they would be fine. But sitting there in the silence, Steve couldn't stop the worry from creeping up on him. Not so much worry for himself, but for Danny. Danny was a father, he had parents and siblings, and he had so much more to lose.

Steve's increasingly morose thoughts were interrupted by the sound of door unsealing. The noise woke Danny, who sat up and swung his feet around to the floor. Both men were taken by surprise by the sight of Chin Ho Kelly in nothing but his usually street clothes.

Danny recovered first, "Chin! You can't be in here without a suit," he sputtered, jumping to his feet.

Steve, on the other hand, responded with a huge smile, "Max has ruled out anything contagious, hasn't he?"

"Yes, he has brah. You two are free to go."

Danny let out a loud, "Whoop!" and was out the door before Steve could react. He looked back over his shoulder, "What, you like it here? You aren't leaving?"

Steve and Chin exchanged an amused glance and followed the blond detective down the hall and into a small waiting room, where Kono greeted them with a relieved smile.

Steve surveyed his assembled team and got down to business, "What's the latest update?"

Chin stood back and let the rookie make the report.

"We believe that our victim is Matthew Cooke but we're still waiting for Max to make the official identification. Either way, Cooke is missing and we have evidence tying him to the site where the body was found."

"Do we have any leads on Cooke's last known location?" Danny asked.

"We've checked with the University and he hasn't been seen on campus. We have an address for his employer," Kono paused to consult some notes she had on a small pad, "Cooke was employed by a research lab but the address is a warehouse down by the harbor. Something seems off there."

Her teammates nodded in agreement.

"We know the body wasn't contagious. Do we have an official cause of death?" Steve asked.

Chin took that one, "Max has a full report but we need to head over to the morgue to get it." He offered a small shrug, "You know how he is about phones."

Steve was ready for some action after being forced to sit around all day. "Kono, send the warehouse address to my phone. Danny and I will go check it out after we change out of these scrubs and back into our own clothes. You two go get the report from Max. Call us with the highlights. Then we'll all meet up at HQ and eat dinner while we compare notes."

The Five-0 team headed out, knowing that there day was probably far from done.

 

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"You're sure this is the address Kono sent you?" Danny asked.

He and Steve were sitting in the Camaro, looking at a badly rundown warehouse. There was no business name or any other kind of sign on the building. The windows were mostly broken but set much too high to see anything inside. It was hard to believe that the warehouse was anything but deserted.

"Cause I'm just saying," Danny continued," that this is not where I would expect to find research scientists. And all that technology packed into these new phones, it can be tricky – believe me, I know."

"You're saying I don't know how to read a text message?" Steve asked.

"I'm saying there's no shame in asking for help," Danny told him, reaching for the phone in Steve's hand. "Just let me take a look and I'll figure out where we're supposed to be."

Steve jerked the phone away as he climbed out of the car. "Like I would ask _you_ for help with my phone." He stopped briefly to retrieve a flashlight, the heavy black kind that can double as a club, from his backpack in the trunk before heading to the warehouse door. "So maybe there is no lab, maybe it's a front for something else."

Danny noted the lengthening shadows and setting sun as he followed. "Why do you only bring one flashlight?"

Steve glanced back at him, "Why don't you bring your own?"

Before Danny could answer, Steve turned his attention to the warehouse door. He fully expected it to be locked but tried the handle anyway. Both men were shocked when the door swung open. Steve looked at Danny, shrugged, and stepped inside.

"Where are you going?" Danny called after him. "Just because the door is unlocked doesn't give you grounds to enter and search." Despite his objections, the blonde detective followed McGarrett inside. After all, as a good partner he couldn't allow the impulsive moron to go alone.

The inside of the warehouse was almost completely dark. Steve shined the flashlight around, his other hand resting on his holstered Sig. "This is Chardia Labs, Danny. It's a business and we have entered through the unlocked front door just like we would at any other office."

Danny made a choking sound, "Like any other office? You need a flashlight when you go see your accountant?" He looked around the inside of the doorway but didn't see any light switches.

Steve had stopped listening and advanced further into the warehouse. About 20 feet from the door was another wall. It wasn't the back wall of the warehouse because the building was much larger from the outside. The space in between was typical vacant warehouse – old boxes and palettes scattered around, buried under layers of dirt. He noted that there was path that was clear of debris and dirt leading from the door to the wall.

"Did you hear something?" Danny asked.

"No," Steve answered absently, his attention now focused on the far wall.

Danny frowned to himself. Something wasn't right. He couldn't pinpoint exactly what was causing his unease. There was something at the very edge of his awareness – a sound he couldn't quite hear or a movement he couldn't quite see. He hurried over to where Steve was inspecting the wall.

"This is metal, thick steel, not some flimsy corrugated stuff. It looks like someone tried to dull it down and then let the dust settle on it so that it's hard to notice." Oblivious to Danny's increasing alarm, Steve wrapped his knuckles against the metal.

The loud knocking sound echoed through the cavernous warehouse. Danny was certain he saw movement among the shadows.

"Steve!" he tugged on his partner's arm to get his attention, "There is definitely something out there."

The Navy SEAL was instantly alert, putting the metal wall at his back and scanning the room for danger, the flashlight in one hand, his gun in the other. After a tense moment, Steve sighed and relaxed a little. "Danny, I don't think there's anyone here."

"I don't think it's a person," Danny answered uncertainly, "Its smaller." The problem was that he didn't know how to explain what he had seen. Suddenly, past Steve's shoulder, Danny saw something small move, "Look! Right there!" he pointed.

Steve spun around with the flashlight and saw . . . the wrong thing. "The path continues down along this wall around the corner. Let's take a look." And with that, McGarrett was off further into the warehouse.

Danny was torn. He really, really wanted to get out of this warehouse, but he couldn't leave Steve without backup. Plus, the sun had now set, leaving Steve's flashlight as the only source of light.

Swearing under his breath, Danny hurried to catch up to his partner. "Look, Cooke isn't here. No one who can tell us about Cooke is here. Its pitch black. I think we should leave and come back tomorrow with Chin and Kono. This may not even be the right place."

But Steve had already rounded the corner and found a door set in the metal wall. Like the wall, it was made of heavy, thick steel. There was a sophisticated lock, requiring a retinal scan to open it. Surprisingly, the door was wide open.

Danny eyed the thick door apprehensively, "It's like a freaking bank vault. If you go in there and get locked in, I'm leaving you here."

Steve laughed. "It's too dark to really look around. We need to get some actual lights."

He did scan the inside of the room with his flashlight. Unlike the outer area of the warehouse, it was very clean. There was an abundance of first class computer equipment, all apparently powered off. There were also several microscopes and other pieces of equipment Steve didn't immediately recognize.

"What do you know?" Danny remarked, "It really is a lab."

Steve turned the flashlight beam on the lab's left wall. "I wonder what those are for?" he asked, studying what seemed to be several dozen stacked cages, all with open doors.

Danny had stopped listening to Steve because – damn it! – he definitely heard something moving behind him. He pulled out his phone and activated the flashlight app. The softer light from the phone didn't scare off the source of the noise the way Steve's brighter flashlight had earlier. But when Danny finally saw what was following them through the warehouse, he desperately wished that it had.

Unable, for one of the only times in his life, to make a sound, Danny shuffled backwards a small step, bumping into Steve.

Steve turned to Danny with annoyance but immediately saw the look of sheer horror on his partner's face. Steve aimed his own flashlight in the same direction Danny was still pointing his phone. Then he saw it: a spider clinging to the side of a large crate, about 3 feet off the ground. It had a thick furry body that was at least 12 inches across and eight thick furry legs that made its total diameter two feet. There were no markings on it; the entire arachnid was an inky black. It was big enough that Steve could see the light reflecting off is black multi-faceted eyes and its mandible opening and closing.

It sat for a minute, looking at Steve and Danny, who were now standing side-by-side. Steve had split second to think, "That's what the cages are for." Then the creature seemed to pull in, gathering itself, and leaped straight at them. It was only finely honed reflexes, developed by years of SEAL training that saved them. Without conscious thought, Steve swung the flashlight, connecting with the spider's thick body and sending it flying into the dark reaches of the warehouse.

Still in combat mode, Steve immediately determined that their current position was indefensible. It was too dark, there was an open door behind them, the number of enemies was unknown, and the warehouse door suddenly seemed very, very far away.

"Danny, we have to get out of here now!"

"No," Danny's voice was a horrified whisper, "I don't know where it went. I don't know if there are more."

"Danny!" Steve reached over and snapped his fingers in front of Danny's face to make him focus. "We can't stay here. I think it's a safe bet to say they're poisonous."

Danny nodded. At that moment he wanted out of this warehouse more than he had ever wanted anything in his life. Spiders had always been a problem for him. It wasn't manly. He'd learned to hide it. He could even kill the small ones. But the monstrous thing that had jumped at them was too much.

Steve waved the flashlight in a larger circle. Now that he knew what he was looking for, he saw several of the hairy things scuttle away from the light.

"We stayed still too long," Steve decided. "They're starting to gather. Danny, stay with me. We're going for the door now!"

Steve drew his gun out of its holster and headed for the door at a fast walk. The spiders were fast but he was an excellent shot, he might get lucky if another one came at them.

Behind him, Danny latched onto the back of Steve's shirt. He knew it was wussy and womanly but it was the only way he could keep himself moving. Danny considered drawing his own weapon but, while was a good shot, he didn't have the excellent aim that Steve did. Plus, as shaken as he was, there was a good chance he'd shoot Steve in the back (which would be no more than he deserved for bringing him here).

They moved quickly, making good time. Steve wished that he had thought to put the flashlight attachment back on his Sig. Although both men were aware of movement in the darkness, miraculously, they made it outside without another attack.

When Steve stopped a few feet from the building, Danny walked into him.

"You can let go of me now, princess," Danny heard the smirk in Steve's voice even with the taller man's back turned to him. He groaned softly and released Steve's shirt. He knew that it would be long time before he was allowed to live this down.

The sun had now completely set and the area around the warehouse was lit by only a few weak lights, attached to the outside of neighboring buildings. In the deep shadows, neither partner saw the dark, eight legged shape sitting in the pile of palettes outside the warehouse, next to the door, only a yard from Danny's head.

 

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"That was not natural, right?" Danny demanded to know. "I mean, you've been in all sorts of freaking jungles and seen all sorts of weird ass shit, and you know that _thing_ was not natural, right?"

Steve actually took a moment to consider. "No," he was finally forced to admit, "I don't think spiders like that are natural."

"So what do we do now?" Danny asked, beginning to wilt a little as the adrenalin wore off, "Call animal control?"

Before Steve could answer, movement from the pile of palettes by the door caught his eye. Acting on instinct, Steve shoved his smaller partner away from the dark furry shape flying through the air.

Unfortunately, the spider was too fast and too close for Danny to move completely outside of its range. Instead of landing squarely on his back, the spider hooked Danny's left arm with four of its legs as it flew past. He punched at the thing with his right hand, landing a direct hit on its soft body. Its half-a-body grip was not enough to hang on and the spider became airborne again, this time not of its oven volition. Steve smoothly brought up the Sig that was still in his hand and fired three shots. One caught the hairy arachnid and flung it back through the open door into the warehouse.

Without a word, both men ran through the warehouse yard and back to the street where the camero was parked. Steve reached for the handle on the driver's side but stopped. Smaller spiders could end up in your car. Was there any part of the engine cavity that something this large could squeeze through? Rationally, he didn't think so, but still, just to be safe, maybe they should walk to the end of the street (or further) before they called this in. He was about to ask Danny's opinion, when he realized his partner was standing by the camero's hood, feverishly ripping at his shirt's left sleeve.

"Danny, tell me what's wrong!" Steve demanded as he rushed to help.

"It burns! I think the damn thing bit me!"

Steve could hear the rising panic in Danny's voice. Both men picturing the corpse they had found in the jungle only that morning.

Steve pulled a small folding knife out of one of the many pockets in his cargo pants and made quick work of cutting away the sleeve. He cursed to himself, realizing that he had dropped the flashlight back by the warehouse door when he had shot the spider.

Steve was forced to do what Danny had done earlier and activate the flashlight app on his cell phone. Together, the two men examined Danny's shoulder. There was a raised bump with a flat top, a couple of inches across. In the center were two angry red spots from the spider's fangs. There were purple discolorations trailing down Danny's arm in wavy trails, following the path of the veins just under the skin.

"It bit me," Danny noted, remarkably calm given the situation.

"I think it just tagged you," Steve said trying to reassure them both. "There's a cold pack in the first aid kit in the glove compartment. Use it on your shoulder while I call for an ambulance."

"Is anything in the glove compartment going to blow me up?" Danny asked, using sarcasm to try and hide from his partner how much the bite throbbed.

Steve ignored him in favor of reporting the details of their situation to the dispatcher. Once he was sure that both an ambulance and HPD were on the way, Steve moved to where Danny was leaning against the side of the car with the cold pack pressed to his shoulder.

"You're not feeling any numbness or having trouble breathing are you?" he tried to make the questions sound casual while trying, and failing, to study Danny's pallor in the dim light.

"No, it just burns like hell and its moving down my arm."

"That's a good sign. It means gravity and circulation are moving the venom down your arm and not towards your heart."

In the distance, the ambulance sirens could be heard. "The next time you want to investigate some dark, creepy warehouse, you are doing it alone," Danny told the SEAL as the flashing lights of help washed over them.

Steve stood back just a few feet as 2 EMT's descended on Danny. They loaded him into the back of the ambulance almost immediately. "We're taking him to Queen's. They have a broad spectrum anti-venom waiting," the driver told Steve. "If the broad spectrum doesn't work, it would be best if the lab had the spider that bit him. Did you happen to see which way it went?"

Steve glanced back towards the shadowy warehouse. He had told the dispatcher that it was a spider bite but had not tried to explain the freakish nature of the spider, afraid that a misunderstanding might slow the response time. "I think I can find one. Does it have to be alive?"

"Alive is better than dead, but dead is better than nothing, and if you can't find it then maybe one of you can pick it out of a book."

"I don't think we'll find it in a book," Steve replied, stepping past the driver to poke his head into the back of the ambulance before the second EMT could close the door. "Danny, I have to make sure HPD secures the scene and captures all the . . . specimens. I'll meet you at the hospital as soon as I can. By the time I get done here they'll probably be ready to send you home."

Danny smiled back but it didn't reach his eyes. He appreciated that Steve was trying to reassure him but it was hard to think past the terrible burning in his arm. "Do me a favor, call Rachael. Just in case something gets out in the news. So she can manage what Grace sees."

"I'll do it, but you'll be fine before Grace even gets up for school tomorrow." Steve stepped back to allow the EMT to close the door, and watched the ambulance pull away.

Several HPD cars had arrived and the officers were gathered, waiting for McGarrett to brief them on the situation. He was a little surprised that Kono's Cruze was not in sight yet. He assumed by now that Chin and Kono had learned about his earlier call to dispatch and were on their way, but he pulled out his phone to call them, just in case. He needed them to help secure the scene and process the warehouse. Once, of course, the spiders were captured and one was sent to Queen's Medical Center, so they would have it if Danny needed it.

Steve saw that he had a missed call and a message from Chin. He dialed into his voicemail and listened: "Boss, be careful in that warehouse. Max confirmed that our victim is Matthew Cooke and he says that he died from some sort of really exotic venom. There might be something in that lab that bites."

 

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Steve stabbed at his phone with more force than was strictly necessary to delete Chin's message. At that moment, Kono's red Cruze finally pulled up alongside the Camaro. Steve was grateful to see the other two members of his taskforce. He wanted to get this scene under control quickly so that he could check on Danny.

Before Steve could brief Kono and Chin, an HPD Captain named Mark Wong stormed over to them, "What the hell is going on, McGarrett? You had every on duty officer report here! And you want animal control? Do you realize that we contract that out to the Humane Society and they certainly don't respond at midnight?"

Steve turned his 1000 yard glare on the unfortunate man, "That warehouse is full of very large, very poisonous spiders. They need to be contained immediately before they become a danger to the entire island. Then we need any evidence in that building that will help us find the people responsible for those spiders."

Wong snorted, "Spiders? Who would guess that the super badass McGarrett was afraid . . ."

He was cut off by the sound of gunfire. In the darkness, echoing off the empty buildings, it was impossible for most people to pin-point where the shots had come from. Steve McGarrett was not most people. He drew his gun and ran into the warehouse yard and around the corner of the building, Kono and Chin right behind him.

They found two HPD officers on the ground. One was shaking badly and crawling towards the street, her gun on the ground behind her. The other wasn't moving at all. Chin turned a flashlight on the still form and that was when Five-0, Mark Wong, and the group of HPD officers behind them saw the gargantuan spider sitting on the fallen man's back.

"Chin, we need to capture it alive," McGarrett whispered urgently, not wanting to spook the spider into either attacking or running away. Moving slowly and deliberately, he grabbed a partially broken crate that was lying on the ground. He took a few steps away from Chin, putting more space between them. The spider's glittering, multi-faceted eyes followed him.

Understanding McGarrett's plan, Chin darted forward and used the long handle of the flashlight to flip the spider off the unfortunate patrolman and onto its back. Like many other bugs and arachnids, it could not immediately right itself, giving Steve the seconds that he needed to trap it beneath the crate.

Kono dropped to the ground beside the injured man, "He needs an ambulance right now!" She used a small knife to cut his shirt away and used the flashlight on her keychain to examine his back. "He was bitten. The area around the bite is already turning black and his pulse is very slow." Several HPD officers hurried over to assist her.

Wong seemed shocked by the events of the last few minutes. Chin shook him by the shoulder to make him focus. "We need floodlights down here. We also need someone from animal control. This area needs to be cordoned off. Then contact someone from the zoo or the university. Make it happen!"

Steve, meanwhile, was handling the broken crate gingerly. The captive spider had righted itself and was now searching for a way out. Its thick furry legs were poking through the broken slats in the crate. None of the openings were large enough to allow its awful head out but the crate wasn't going to hold together long. As it was, Steve had to hold the crate down while avoiding the probing legs.

"We need some kind of cage – RIGHT NOW!" McGarrett commanded. He watched the young HPD officer being loaded into an ambulance. "Lives depend on this thing getting to the hospital."

 

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Dr. Martin Neuberg watched the scene at the warehouse through high-powered binoculars from his high-rise apartment many blocks away. He had rented the apartment specifically for this view. He silently congratulated himself on the fact that his attention to detail was paying off.

Of course, in an ideal scenario, the authorities would not have uncovered the lab this quickly. Neuberg tried to remember if there was anything left in the building that could be traced back to him. He had been forced to leave in such haste that he could not be sure.

Neuberg glanced over at the heavy covered cart that held the last of his experiments, all securely locked in their cages. Everything else he needed was already packed into two large bags waiting by the door.

Better safe than sorry, he told himself. He was meeting the buyers in less than 12 hours now. He could kill time somewhere else in the city until then. Neuberg grabbed his bags. He'd toss them in the van and then come back up to load the cart into the service elevator.

He was quite pleased with the way events were unfolding. Neuberg would have been less pleased if he had noticed the furry legs emerging from under the cart's cover.

* * *

After Officer Rhee was loaded into an ambulance and taken away, the scene at the warehouse immediately became controlled chaos. Huge floodlights were set up. Keiko Cunha, an expert from the Honolulu Zoo, assembled a team that included several assistant zoo keepers, a few graduate students from the university, and the humane officers who worked with HPD.

The first thing they did was herd the spider McGarrett had trapped into a heavy glass tank. That tank was now in the backseat of the Camaro. The lid was secure, Steve had tested it himself, but he still used the review mirror to keep an eye on it as he sped towards Queen's Medical Center. The spider was angrily hurtling itself against the side, trying to get free, but it was no match for the thick glass.

Technically, anyone could have delivered the spider, but there wasn't much he could do at the warehouse until it was declared arachnid free. This way he could check on Danny himself.

Waiting for Steve outside the hospital were two doctors and a professor from the university (they were her graduate students back at the warehouse). They were the team that would be working on the captured spider. Steve helped them maneuver the tank onto a cart.

One of the men hung back to up-date Steve, "I'm Dr. Loudon. I've been treating both Detective Williams and Officer Rhee. Perhaps we can find somewhere quieter to talk?" He started to lead Steve towards a small waiting room not far from the hospital entrance.

The room was empty and Steve was able to get right to the point, "Is my partner going to alright?"

"Detective Williams received a very small dose of venom. The broad spectrum anti-venom was not very successful. It doesn't seem to be spreading any further but the broad spectrum has not neutralized the venom already in the tissue."

"What does that mean?" Many had been intimidated by McGarrett's frown and Dr Loudon was not an exception. He hurried to give the Commander better news.

"Now that we have the live specimen, we should be able to synthesize the specific anti-venom needed. Detective Williams will be fine. There may be some lingering weakness in the arm but it shouldn't last more than a few days."

Steve nodded, "How is Officer Rhee?"

Dr Loudon's face turned grave," Officer Rhee died shortly after arriving. The venom was too strong and the bite was directly to the torso, which allowed it to impact the organs very quickly. There was nothing we could do."

Steve took a moment to feel the regret of a lost life. He also felt a flash of guilt over his relief that it was not Danny that had gotten the deadly bite. Then he shut the regret and guilt away and kept doing the job. "We don't know how many of these spiders are out there or what plans are being made for them. If there are more bites, will the anti-venom work?"

"It depends on the size of the bite, where on the body the person is bitten, and how long it takes to get them treatment," Loudon smiled apologetically. "I have to get down to the lab now, we should be able to administer the anti-venom to Detective Williams in about an hour."

 

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Danny Williams leaned back against his pillows and tried to empty his mind of all thought. Unfortunately, Danny thought much the same way he spoke – in a constant stream. He knew that he should be sleeping (it was well after Midnight) but his right shoulder burned and, more disturbingly, his left hand was numb.

Danny was experimentally poking his left palm with the spork from his earlier jello cup when Steve poked his head in. "If you really want to stab yourself, I have things that are actually sharp and not made of plastic," Steve offered.

Danny rewarded him with a wan smile, "I can't feel my hand. I can't feel my hand and my shoulder is turning black – just like Cooke," he felt panic swelling inside him as yanked the hospital gown away from his shoulder to show Steve. His shoulder was a truly putrid purple color, but not black like Cooke or Rhee.

Steve studied it for a minute before meeting his partner's worried eyes. "Danny, I've seen what it looks like when someone dies from this venom. YOU are going to be fine," he didn't break eye contact until he saw Danny start to relax, at least a little. "They have one of the spiders down stairs and they're synthesizing the anti-venom right now. Your hand is going to be numb for a little while but you'll be out of here before you have to eat your breakfast with that spork."

Danny sighed sadly, "Who died? Tell me what's been happening."

Steve pulled the visitor's chair over to the side of the bed and gave Danny a rundown of everything that had happened at the warehouse.

When he was finished, Danny leaned back and sighed, "Steve, I can think of several reasons someone might want to create giant mutant spiders – hell, you can probably think of even more – and none of them are good."

You're right," Steve agreed, his face especially solemn, "I am a more creative thinker than you are."

Danny's hands began waving about before he could even form a word, "More creative? I meant that you are a severely disturbed and demented individual."

Before the two men could truly debate the matter, Dr Loudon and a nurse entered the room. "We have the anti-venom. Are you ready for me to administer it, Detective?"

Steve moved out of the way, dragging the chair in the corner and quietly watching while the injection was given. He settled back in the chair as the nurse monitored Danny's vitals and Dr Loudon made notes on the color and size of the marks on Danny's arm.

The next thing Steve knew, his phone's vibration was pulling him out of a nightmare about glistening multi-faceted eyes. Seeing that Danny was the only other person now in the room, Steve hit the speaker button, "Go ahead Kono, Danny and I are both here."

"Danny, how do you feel?" Even over the tiny phone speaker, the concern in her voice was obvious.

"The anti-venom is working. The gross colors are still there but the burning is gone," Danny was much more relaxed then he had been earlier. "Now that you've awakened Sleeping Beauty here, why don't you tell him about the hard work you've been doing while he napped?"

Kono could practically here Steve's glare through the phone as she answered, "The warehouse is clear for us to go in. They think they've got all the spiders."

"Thanks, Kono," Steve slanted a pointed look at Danny," Did you follow my orders?"

"Yes, we did, Boss. Chin and I took turns catching some sleep while they worked on the spiders."

"Good, I'm on my way right now. You and Chin get started right away. Time counts right now," McGarrett ended the call and stretched to get rid of the kinks from sleeping in a hard chair. "What did Loudon say about your arm?"

"They want to observe me for a few more hours and I should be discharged right after breakfast. Guess I'll need the spork after all."

"Get some sleep. You'll be the freshest tomorrow. Your arm may keep you in the office but you can do research," Steve was headed out the door.

"Hey, McGarrett," Danny stopped him in the doorway, "Kono said they THINK they got all the spiders. You guys be careful in there."

Steve nodded and then gave Danny his trademark half grin, "You be careful, too. There's a spider here in the hospital and this things are hard to keep caged."

Glaring at the closed door, Danny settled down to catch some sleep. He would never admit to Steve that he left light on and made sure the sheet was tucked in tight around him.

 

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Steve pulled the Camaro up to the warehouse and fought the urge to close his eyes for a few minutes. Sunrise was only 2 hours away and the nap he had taken in Danny's hospital room was not enough. I must be getting soft, he thought to himself, remembering times with the SEALs when he had stayed up for much, much longer. Pushing the fatigue away, Steve approached the HPD officer stationed by the warehouse door.

"Commander McGarrett, your detectives are already inside," she reported. "We have gear ready for you right over there." She gestured to a staging area several yards away.

"Gear?"

"You'll have to wear full SWAT gear inside the warehouse. The body armor will help protect you from any spiders still hiding in there," she explained. She lowered her voice and leaned closer, "Barnes had one jump on his leg about 15 minutes ago. The Kevlar plate broke its mandible."

Despite a certain blond detective's conviction that Steve was committed to insane recklessness, he actually did know when to take proper precautions. Without a single protest, he pulled on the SWAT gear, smiling a little as he imagined how proud Danny would be of this display of common sense.

Inside the warehouse, Steve found Chin and Kono supervising a small team of techs in the laboratory area. Everyone was dressed in the heavy body armor.

"What do we know so far?" he asked his team.

"Chardina Labs leased the entire building but this appears to be the only area they used. The rest of the warehouse, including the office, hasn't been disturbed in years," Chin reported.

Steve nodded, "Do we have anything on Chardina?"

"It's an acronym for arachnid?" Kono suggested, before becoming more serious, "I've tried tracing the company back to a person but everything leads to a dead end. All payments that were made for the building and the equipment were in cash." She paused to stifle a yawn, "Tomorrow – or later today – we'll canvas and see if we can get a description of who did all that cash paying."

Steve nodded again, impressed as always by how the rookie held up during difficult cases.

Chin had moved over to inspect some of the lab's computer equipment, "This had been wiped by someone who knew what they were doing. I don't know how the spiders got out but this was not done quickly. They may have planned to abandon the lab and let the spiders go on purpose. Maybe it was some kind of test."

"So we've come into this at the end, and even if something can be recovered from this equipment, we don't have time to wait for it," Steve concluded.

"That's it, brah," Chin agreed.

"Then let's head back to HQ. We can catch a few hours of sleep and then spread out to the companies that supplied Chardina once they're open," Steve led them through the warehouse, towards the door as he spoke, "Danny should be discharged by mid-morning at the latest, so we can feed intel back to him."

The floodlights that had been placed throughout the building banished the shadows that had plagued Steve and Danny during their earlier visit. Which was why, when Steve turned to make sure that his teammates understood his plan, he caught sight of the bloated black shape falling from the ceiling, directly onto Kono.

Without hesitation, McGarrett tackled the slender woman to the ground, landing on top of her. He felt the sickening weight of the spider land on his back, forcing the air out of his lungs. Its thick hairy legs allowed it to absorb the impact of a 2 story free fall. It immediately attempted to sink its fangs into Steve's back. Only the heavy body armor saved him.

Trapped beneath her much larger boss and the massive arachnid, Kono was unable to escape but her arm was still free. She grabbed a knife that McGarrett had strapped to the outside of his SWAT armor. The spider was still angrily trying to bite through to Steve's back when Kono plunged the knife into its side.

The creature reared back in pain, pulling the knife out of Kono's grip. It spun around and scurried away into the depths of the warehouse, leaving a trail of dark liquid behind it.

Steve scrambled to his feet and started to give chase.

"McGarrett! Where are you going?" Chin demanded, latching onto the younger man's arm.

"It has my knife. I'm going to get it back," Steve told him matter-of-factly, like it was the most normal response in the world. Chin stared at him, momentarily too stunned to reply.

Behind them, Kono had risen from the floor, looking around frantically in all directions for more spiders, "I'll buy you a new knife, boss. Let's get out of here."

Steve looked like he wanted to protest but he was interrupted by his cell phone. Glancing at the caller ID, he saw that Danny was calling him. He momentarily forgot about the knife, "Danny, aren't you supposed to be sleeping? Is something wrong with the anti-venom?"

"We have a big problem. A woman was brought into the Emergency Room with a spider bite. She was DOA," Danny reported.

"Was she here at the warehouse?" Steve asked, looking around as if he would see someone missing. He did note that Kono was trying to nonchalantly edge out the warehouse door.

"No, the paramedics picked her up at some apartment building. It's not even particularly close to the warehouse."

"Send us the address and we'll check it out," Steve instructed him.

"No."

"Wait – What?" Steve didn't seem able to comprehend the simple answer, "What the hell do you mean no?"

"You're going to come pick me up here and we'll check out the apartment building together," Danny told him.

"You haven't been discharged yet. We don't have time to wait."

"I'll sign myself out AMA while you're on your way. They were going to release me in 2 or 3 hours any way."

"No," Steve responded in the flat tone that did not allow for argument.

Danny, of course, argued anyway, "You can't tell ME no, Steven I-have-been-shot-stabbed- and blown up-and-I-am-leaving-to-go-shoot-the-people-responsible McGarrett."

"Danny – "

"No. You will come and get me or I will take a cab and you will owe me the cab fare."

Steve admitted defeat, "Fine, I'm on my way. You'd better be waiting outside. We're in a hurry. Send Chin the address so he can run the tenants in the building."

Hanging up the phone, McGarrett followed Chin out of the warehouse," Once you've run the tenants, let us know if anything pops."

"Wasn't going to keep it to myself, brah," Chin chided him gently.

Steve paused for a moment and smiled apologetically, "No, of course you weren't. Sorry about that." He looked around until he saw Kono approaching them, "Are you alright? I didn't mean to land on you so hard."

"I'm fine," she reassured him, "Thank you for not letting that _thing_ land on my head," she shuddered.

Steve took off across the street towards the camaro. "I just had a set of body armor for Danny put in the trunk," Kono called after him.

Steve waved his hand to acknowledge that he had heard her. He started to climb into the car when he stopped and looked back at Kono and Chin, "Tell HPD that when they find a spider with a knife sticking out of it, that knife is mine and I want it back."

 

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As instructed, Danny was standing outside the ER entrance when Steve pulled up. As he hopped into the car, Danny tossed a sling into the back seat. Steve didn't comment but frowned when Danny fumbled with his seatbelt.

"Maybe you should be wearing the sling?" he suggested.

Danny waved him off, "It doesn't hurt. My fingers just feel fat and don't want to do what I tell them. Besides," he added, taking in Steve's full-body SWAT armor, "the sling wouldn't go with the rest of the outfit. You did bring some for me, right?"

Steve nodded as he navigated the growing morning traffic, "Your gear's in the trunk." He used the rest of the drive to bring Danny up to speed on what had happened at the warehouse.

"So Kono had to save you from the spider?" Danny asked, smirking just a little.

"I'd describe it more as a mutual saving."

"I'm just glad that Kono's okay," Danny told him, getting out of the car as Steve pulled up in front of the apartment building.

"Kono? What about me?" Steve called after him.

HPD already had the area around the building cordoned off. The last of the residents were being evacuated and loaded onto a bus. While Steve located the officer in charge for an up-date, Danny used his phone to see what Chin and Kono had found out about the building's residents. Maybe their luck was changing because Chin had actually found something.

"Hey, McGarrett!" he yelled, waving Steve over. "According to Chin, the guy in 10C is Jack West. But when Chin tried running the info from his application, nothing checked out. Turns out to be a fake identity." Danny began donning the body armor from the trunk as he spoke. Steve had to help with some of the straps and buckles when his left hand refused to cooperate.

Steve's phone rang before they could enter the building, the caller ID identifying Kono. Steve hit the speaker, "Go ahead, Kono. You have both of us."

"I'm at the rec center where they've set up a shelter for the people that have been evacuated from their apartments. I've been asking for any info on Jack West."

"I don't suppose he got evacuated with everyone else?" Danny asked hopefully.

Kono chuckled," No such luck. His apartment was empty when HPD went through the building. No one knows him well. The general impression is that he's some kind of doctor and he's arrogant. A few people also described him as creepy."

"That sounds like he could be our guy," Steve was perking up at the prospect of a solid lead. "Have a sketch artist work with the neighbors. Let's find out what he looks like."

"Sketch artist is already on her way, Boss." Kono paused, remembering her own encounter with the horrific spider, "You guys be careful in that apartment."

"We will be," Steve assured her before ending the call. He glanced over at Danny, "You ready?"

Danny shrugged, trying for a bored look, "Sure, I face giant spiders at dawn all the time, but if you're scared I understand."

Steve gave him the I-am-not-amused face and headed into the building.

 

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_

The door to apartment 10C was marked with red tape, indicating that it had been checked and no one was left inside.

"What are you doing?" Danny demanded suspiciously as he watched Steve approach the door.

Steve dangled the key in his hand for Danny to see, "I got a master from HPD."

"It's a sad day in McGarrettland when you don't get to kick the door in, isn't it?" Then a more serious question occurred to Danny, "Did anyone find the spider that bit that poor woman earlier?"

"She was bitten in the elevator on her way to the lobby. In the chaos, it escaped. The team from the zoo is trying to trap one in the basement right now, but who knows if it's the same one."

"That's comforting," Danny told him sarcastically, "You have a very calming way with people, McGarrett."

Steve smirked and opened the door. Both men went in with guns drawn, scanning high and low for any signs of movement. Steve shut the door behind them. There was no point in letting the enemy, especially an eight-legged one, get the drop on them.

The apartment was neat, with generic furnishings and no personal touches. They did a quick search of each room, staying together instead of splitting up as they would have in other situations.

"There's nothing here," Danny declared with frustration, "It looks like he packed up and left. I'm so tired of being one step behind this guy." He slammed yet another empty drawer closed.

Steve nudged the empty trash can with the toe of his boot, "In a building like this, where do you suppose the trash goes?"

Danny shrugged, "Basement probably. Most buildings like this have a trash chute." Then he realized what his partner was thinking, "Our guy hasn't been gone very long . . ."

". . . and no trash has been picked up today because the building is locked down," Steve finished. He pulled out his cell phone and placed a call to HPD, "I need all the trash from the building checked. We're looking for anything from apartment 10C. Put Captain Mark Wong on it. I know that will mean a double shift for him but he did a fine job at the warehouse and he's already up to speed on the case."

Danny gave Steve a puzzled look. It wasn't like McGarrett to form close relationships with HPD. Before he could question this unusual affinity, Steve was already out the door.

 

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_

Back at Five-0 Headquarters, the team gathered for a breakfast of badly needed sugar and caffeine – also known as malasadas and coffee.

Kono had sent the sketch from the rec center to Chin, who, in turn, had sent HPD out with it to canvas the companies that had done business with Chardina Labs.

"Since we have a few minutes, I'm going to grab a quick shower and change of clothes," Steve announced, stretching. He headed for the taskforce locker room.

"I'm going to check in with the computer techs," Chin said, "It's a long shot, but maybe they've gotten something from the equipment at the lab." He left Danny and Kono sitting by themselves in the large squad room.

"Hey, Kono," Danny asked thoughtfully, "What did Mark Wong do to impress Steve so much?"

Kono's forehead wrinkled in confusion. "Mark Wong? Is he related to the case?"

"He's an HPD Captain. McGarrett made a special request to have him at the apartment building."

Kono threw back her head and laughed, "Wong accused Steve of being a wuss for being afraid of spiders and now Steve has him going through garbage."

It took Danny's tired brain a minute to process what Kono had just said before his laughter joined hers.

 

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Steve was awakened from the cat nap he was taking by the opening of his office door. As he had been trained, he remained perfectly still, letting the newcomer think he was still sleeping.

"You can stop pretending," Danny told him. "If you're still asleep then it's time to give back your Secret SEAL Signet and admit that you're out of the club."

Steve gave him a tired smile and swung into a sitting position on the couch. "I heard you before you even touched the door." He ignored Danny's eye roll. "Do we have something?"

"Dr Martin Neuberg," Danny announced triumphantly. "If you want to know more then you should join the rest of us in the squad room." And before Steve could get another word out, Danny was back out the door.

Ten minutes later, the entire team was gathered around the computer table, each person in his or her customary place.

"Captain Wong and his people found something very interesting in the trash from apartment 10C," Chin touched the table a few times and the wall screens came to life.

One screen displayed the image of a postcard. It appeared to have been torn into several pieces, which had been taped back together before being scanned. It was a reminder card from a restaurant named the Jade Dynasty to confirm a reservation for a private room at 6pm that vary evening.

"The name on the reservation still says Jack West," McGarrett pointed out.

"As the person who got the most rest last night, I ran over to the restaurant and guess what I found?" Danny asked, satisfaction oozing from his tone.

Steve gestured impatiently for him to get on with it.

"The Jade Dynasty won't reserve private rooms without a valid credit card. And the credit card used belongs to Dr Martin Neuberg." While Danny was talking, Chin brought up more images on screen. "The reservation is for 4 people to have dinner in a private room at 6:00. The room is reserved for 4 hours."

"Do we know anything about Neuberg?" Kono asked.

It was Chin who answered, "We have a California driver's license with a picture that matches the sketch from the rec center."

Steve was nodding, "Sounds like he could be our guy."

Kono was poking at the touch screen, sifting through info on Neuberg. "It says here that he worked for a Las Angeles bio-engineering company but he was fired 3 years ago for stealing trademarked technology to use for his private research."

Chin picked up the narrative, "He tried raising capital to fund his private search but he wouldn't tell his backers anything about the project so the funding fell through." Chin's tone made it clear what he thought about Neuberg's business smarts.

"Then he went bankrupt, lost his house, lost everything else, and dropped off the grid," Danny finished.

"Which means that someone had to help him relocate to Hawaii and pay for his lab here," Steve noted. "It seems like he did find funding, just not the legitament kind."

"Right now, Neuberg doesn't know that we know about his little dinner meeting tonight so there's no reason for him to not show up," Danny said, "We have to make sure that we don't do anything to spook him."

"Chin and Kono, head over to the restaurant and check it out. Be sure to keep a low profile." McGarrett glanced over at his partner, "Danny, we're going over to the hospital to see what we can learn about the spiders they've been studying. I think it's safe to assume we'll find some of those eight-legged monsters at the meeting tonight. I'd like to be ready for them."

The other 3 members of the taskforce followed their leader briskly out through the double doors that exited their headquarters. Just on the far side of those doors, the foursome nearly mowed down a young man standing there. The slender Hawaiian seemed frozen in place.

"Who are you?" McGarrett barked.

"I'm . . . I'm an intern. An intern with HPD." The young intern seemed to run out of words and McGarrett seemed content to keep him pinned in place with his death glare.

Kono took pity on the poor kid and stepped forward. "Were you looking for us?" she asked gently.

He held up a transparent evidence bag, his hand noticeably shaking. "They told me that this belongs to Commander McGarrett."

All four members of the Five-0 turned their attention to the bag. Inside was a large knife with black goo caked on it.

"That's my knife," Steve declared happily, "Now you don't have to buy me one, Kono." He took the bag from the shaking intern. "Thanks for bringing it over." He clapped the young man on the arm as he walked past, knocking the young man off balance and into the wall.

Following Steve out of the building, Danny reached over and steadied the kid without breaking stride.

 

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"Being able to dissect this specimen was very helpful," Dr Keiko Cunha, still on loan from the Honolulu Zoo, gestured to a tray where the remains of one of the spiders were spread out.

Steve couldn't quite disguise the look of disgust on his face. "What I really need to know is how to protect a restaurant full of people from them."

"This should help with that." At a gesture from Cunha, a young lab tech brought over the kind of tank and sprayer most commonly used for spraying weed killer. "We developed an insecticide that will absorb through their skin and will be particularly effective against these spiders."

"How long does it take to kill them?" Danny asked from his spot just inside the door. He was eyeing the two living spiders imprisoned in tanks and refused to come any further into the room.

"They die only 2 or 3 minutes after exposure, but you need to make sure you spray a significant amount on the arachnid."

"What we get on ourselves?" Steve asked.

Cunha considered for a minute before replying, "It would be best if you don't get it on you but a little bit won't hurt you. Just try to wash it off quickly and change out of any clothing it's on. Don't worry unless you start to feel dizzy and nauseous."

Steve nodded his thanks and shouldered the spraying device with its tank of insecticide. With his other hand, he grabbed a container with two dozen vials of anti-venom. "Danny, grab the second sprayer," he called over his shoulder as he left the lab and headed out to the car.

Danny remained where he was by the door, glaring at the second sprayer on the floor not far from the spider tanks. After a long moment, the lab tech carried the devise to Danny, who thanked him with a smile and nod before grabbing the contraption and following Steve out.

 

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"Steve!" Danny grabbed his partner's arm hard enough to leave marks, "It's a spider!"

Steve was instantly on high alert, reaching for the insecticide sprayer as he searched for the danger. "Where is it? I don't see anything."

Danny gestured wildly at the wall next to Steve, actually coming dangerously close to hitting his partner in the small space, "Its right there. How can you not see that!"

"If we weren't on a stakeout, I'd make you eat that spider," Steve snapped angrily, as he watched the tiny, perfectly normal spider crawl across the wall.

"I get to be a little jumpy," Danny told him as he fiddled with the computer equipment set-up around them, "I spent last night in the hospital with a spider bite. And it doesn't help that you've hidden me in a dusty, dark attic."

Steve looked up from his own section of computer equipment to glance around the Jade Dynasty's attic storage space. "We couldn't risk sending anyone in as an employee. Something big is going down tonight. I'm sure that Neuberg or his dinner companion has checked things out in advance. Having a new employee appear might tip them off," he hit a few buttons and the half dozen monitors came to life, each one showing a different view of the restaurant. "That's why we're watching on these cameras instead."

"Why do Chin and Kono get to watch from the van? I want to be in the van. One of them can sit here with you."

Steve gave Danny an incredulous stare, "I wanted you to stay in the van. I was worried that your arm still wasn't 100%. You said that you couldn't be the backup from the van so you were coming with me."

"Well I've changed my mind. Let's get Chin up here."

"Too late," Steve told him, turning his laser focus on one of the monitors, "That's Neuberg."

They watched in silence for a few minutes as Neuberg talked with the hostess and inspected the room. He was a small, pale man, the kind that most people would dismiss. Then he spoke and his arrogance became apparent.

"Once my guests and I are seated, no one is to enter the room unless summoned," the Neuberg on the screen was instructing the waitress. He held up a small silver bell. "If you're needed, we'll ring this."

The look in the woman's face said exactly what she thought about answering to a bell, but Steve had instructed the entire staff to do whatever Neuberg asked. So she bit her tongue and watched him walk back out to his van.

"Kono, Chin, are you getting this?" Steve asked into the small microphone that was attached to the earpiece he was currently wearing.

"Copy, Boss," Kono replied, "We've got clear audio and video on all cameras."

"Can you see what he's doing outside?" Danny asked.

"He's unloading a large cart from the van he drove up in," Chin answered. "It's completely covered. We can't see what's on it."

They all watched as Neuberg pushed the cart into the private dining room, refusing to let any of the restaurant staff assist him.

"You know what's on that cart, don't you?" Danny asked, fidgeting in his seat.

"No, Danny. Contrary to your often shared opinion, I do not have super powers. No x-ray vision."

"It's the spiders. He's going to show them off to his backers."

Steve looked away from the screen to glance over at Danny, "There's no reason to be 'rationally concerned' right now. They're still in tanks."

"Guys, it looks like the guest of honor has arrived," Chin interrupted.

On the screen, a middle-aged man was being escorted back to Neuberg's table. He appeared to be Eastern European and, despite his very expensive tailored suit, seemed fit and dangerous. There was a pretty blonde woman on his arm and two bodyguard types flanking them. The muscle were both grim and serious. The woman was trying to smile but her body language was off. There was a stiffness to her posture that told all 4 members of the Five-0 that something was wrong.

"I'm working on trying to ID them now," Kono reported.

"Kono, focus on the woman," Steve instructed, "Chin, pull up everything you can find on Dmitri Orlov."

The urgency in Steve's voice immediately told Danny that Steve was on to something. "Who Dmitri Orlov?" he demanded.

"He's originally from Bosnia, but after the civil war he got into arms dealing and left for warmer climates, mostly in South America," Steve replied.

"You just happen to know all that off the top of your head?" Danny asked, clearly astonished, "Not to mention the fact that you recognized him on site."

"He's on Interpol's most wanted list," Steve told him defensively, "I make sure that I stay current."

"Chin, see if you can confirm Super SEAL's hunch," Danny requested.

"It's not a hunch," Steve mumbled as they watched the party below place their dinner orders, "It's called preparation."

While they waited for their meals to arrive, the men in the dining room discussed the "biological agent" Neuberg had been designing for Orlov.

"The agent is ready for use. I have a few samples with me tonight," Neuberg gestured towards the still covered cart." After I've verified the final payment has been transferred to my account in the Cayman's, I'll give you the research you'll need to produce more of the agent."

A discrete knock on the door signaled the arrival of dinner. One of Orlov's men gestured for the food to be brought in.

"How do you want to do this?" Danny asked as they watched their subjects eat.

"I want them to uncover the cart so we can see exactly how many spiders we're dealing with. Then we'll move in." Steve was trying to create a plan that would keep Danny away from the spiders. He wasn't going to allow a repeat of yesterday at the warehouse. It didn't hurt to be careful, "Kono, have HPD tighten their perimeter to 5 minutes out."

Danny was suddenly more alert, "Steve, I think we have a problem."

"Before I transfer any more money, I want to see the effects of the agent for myself," Orlov was telling Neuberg. He gestured towards their blonde dinner companion, "That is why I insisted that Miss Farraday join us tonight. She'll be your test subject."

The woman whimpered but didn't make any other protest.

Neuberg smiled pleasantly, "I'd be happy to conduct a demonstration." He stood up and removed the cover from the cart. There were four of the monstrous spiders, each in its own glass tank. All four began to snap their mandibles and throw themselves against the glass.

The bodyguards backed away from the cart. Even Orlov shifted in his chair to move away from the tanks. Tears began to run down Farraday's face but she seemed too scared to make a sound.

("When did my life become a James Bond movie?" Danny hissed.)

"Shall I take one out and introduce him to the young lady?" Neuberg suggested slyly.

"No, don't do that," Orlov answered too quickly giving away his fear. He paused for a moment to compose himself. "Anton and Yuri will take her to them."

"As you wish," Neuberg slid open a small trap door on the top of one of the tanks. The spider's fat body was much too large to squeeze out but the woman's slender arm would easily fit inside. The two goons moved in, each taking one of her shaking arms and began to drag her towards the tank.

Upstairs, Steve and Danny had seen enough. Steve pulled off his headset, drew his gun, and rushed down the steps, taking the tank of insecticide with him.

"Wait for me!" Danny yelled, pausing long enough to give Chin and Kono instructions, "Tell HPD to move in and then get yourselves in here." He grabbed his own gun and raced down the stairs after his partner.

Downstairs, Steve rushed through the restaurant towards the private dining room. "Everyone evacuate the building!" he yelled as he ran.

The site of the man in dark SWAT body armor waving a gun caused several diners to panic. They rushed for the front door, inadvertently tripping up Danny as he tried to reach the back of the restaurant.

Steve burst through the door and into the private dining room. He immediately shot one of the minions. (Anton, maybe? Did it matter?). Unfortunately, the force of the shot flung his dead weight into the cart, causing it to rock back and forth.

Miss Farraday found her right arm free and began to kick and claw frantically at the man on her left. She managed to wrench herself free, knocking Yuri off balance. She gave the large man a final desperate shove and sent him stumbling into the already rocking cart.

Danny arrived in the room just in time to see the cart hit the ground and the tanks bust open, releasing their horrific residents. Two of the spiders immediately leapt on Yuri, sinking their fangs into his flesh. Steve sprang forward and coated both spiders with insecticide from the sprayer. The spiders died quickly but it was obvious from one look at Yuri that it was too late to save him.

Neuberg took advantage of the commotion to flee through the fire door in the back wall.

"Danny! Go after him. I'll take care of the spiders," Steve yelled.

Danny hesitated for just a second, not wanting to leave Steve alone with the spiders. But he quickly decided that the crazy Navy Ninja SEAL could take care of himself. Danny launched himself through the fire door and into the grimy alley behind the restaurant. Ahead of him, Neuberg had already reached the street and was headed for his van. Danny sprinted faster, not wanting to give the fleeing scientist time to drive off.

Seeing the blonde detective baring down on him, Neuberg fumbled his keys and dropped them under the van. He tried to turn and run but Danny slammed him into the side of the van.

"What kind of lunatic makes giant mutant spiders?" Danny demanded as he roughly handcuffed the man.

"I wanted to be paid the money I deserve for my brilliance," Neuberg sneered.

Danny shook his head in disgust, shoving Neuberg towards several approaching HPD officers, "Read this idiot his rights. There are two of his spiders and one of Interpol's most wanted gun runners loose in the restaurant. I'm going back in to help my team."

Back inside, Steve pursued the two remaining spiders into the main dining room. The spiders were incredibly fast. One had already reached the far end of the room. It ran up the bar and squatted for a moment on the top.

The two bartenders who had been cowering behind the bar stood up but were unable to get past the spider. Its hairy form tensed, ready to spring at the two women.

McGarrett cursed the limited range of the insecticide sprayer. He dropped the nozzle and brought up his Sig. His first shot hit the spider, saving the bartenders but causing the panic in the restaurant to escalate into pandemonium.

In the rush of people, Steve lost track of the final spider. He pressed his back against the wall and frantically scanned the room.

A slender young Asian man rushing towards the front door tripped over a chair and went sprawling. The spider scuttled out from under the table next to him and latched onto his leg.

Steve reached the man's side in an instant. He coated the spider with insecticide but not before it sank its fangs into the man's leg. The spider was still thrashing in its final death throes when Steve kicked it away.

Chin appeared at Steve's side and began quickly cutting the man's pants away from the bite. "I have the anti-venom," he told his boss, "Are there any other bites?"

"Only one, buts it's too late for him," Steve watched Chin administer the injection. "Danny went out the back after Neuberg. Did you see him?"

"No, I came in the front. Kono went around back. Maybe she saw them."

"I'm right here," Danny told them, stepping out of the private dining room and into the main restaurant. He glanced around cautiously, "You got all the spiders?"

Steve nodded, "They've all been exterminated." He surveyed the restaurant again and swore under his breath, "Orlov must have slipped out with the crowd. Damn, I really wanted to get him."

The sudden sound of several gunshots from the alley behind the restaurant sent all three men running out the back door. Steve stopped abruptly, causing Danny and Chin to slide into him.

"What the hell, Steve," Danny demanded.

Steve didn't answer, just watched the scene before him with a wide smile on his face. Looking past him into the alley, Danny and Chin also smiled.

Kono Kalakaua had Dmitri Orlov, dangerous international arms dealer, face down in the garbage on the grimy street. His expensive suit was ruined and blood was seeping from a bullet wound in his shoulder.

 

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Steve McGarrett paused just inside his backdoor, his arms filled with a cooler of longboards, and took a minute to watch his team.

It had been 3 days since the bust at the Jade Dynasty. Once they had finished at the scene, all four members of the Five-0 had taken 24 hours to sleep and recover. The next 2 days had been eaten up by paperwork. It turned out that mad scientists, mutant spiders, and internationally wanted criminals created a lot of forms to be filed.

Now it was finally done, the case completely closed, and everyone was at Steve's for a celebratory cook-out. He let the sounds of their good-natured teasing wash over him. It was different from his SEAL teams, but he wouldn't trade this ohana for anything.

 


End file.
